Hallway at work!

Remember my previous post about discreet shoe storage? Well, after some measuring, debating, hemming & hawwing, we decided to bite the bullet and go with the IKEA Hemnes shoe cabinets! This picture was our inspiration for a pretty yet practical way to store shoes.



Our entry way is not defined and the front door opens up directly into the dining room. If we had a little a nook or cranny that separated the room better, we would not have gone to such extremes. A simple bar shoe rack would suffice. Since we didn't have that extra bit of house, we had to simulate a hallway to distinguish the dining room. Was it a lot to blow $200 (not including the mirror and little decoratives) just to store some shoes? Totally. Originally, we were concerned that the white manufactured composite so well- favored by IKEA would look cheap or garish but it actually blends in with our moulding and trim well enough to pass for a built in at first glance.



The runner in front of the cabinets provided a place for people to walk onto to remove shoes without getting the carpet dirty. I did like the bright cheerful colors of the bright floral IKEA rug but it was too large for the area. In the end, we got this brown striped runner for it's form (stripes to form a hallway for the eyes to follow down into the living room) and function (machine-washable and a color that hides stains well).
Each "cubby" (as the husband quaintly described them to our guests) stores at least 2 pairs of men's shoes and more for daintier shoes. The cabinet itself took ages to put together, even for a lego champion such as my hubby. There was an insane amount of tiny pieces that put this contraption together but he did it perfectly. Of course, I cannot leave well enough alone and persuaded the husband that we needed to line the bins to make it easier to clean. I had an ulterior motive of course. No plain contact paper for me! Enter Target! We got this lovely green paisley and a white with blue and brown polka-dots print and alternated between both to line the cubbies.



We had about 25 people at our housewarming and it was such a blessed sight to see all but a few pairs of rain boots on the landing. We still have a ways to go before the entry way feels "complete" but it is so nice to sit back and give each new addition it's rightful period of admiration.